Undelivered Message
by antharper
Summary: A message from an elderly women to her husband serving in the UNSC.


**Undelivered message / Dated February 10th 2525 / [Sender] Teresa Nyreen (Civilian), to [Recipient] Robert Nyreen, Captain, UNSC Insomnia, (UNSC Service Number: 01918-18646-RN).**

My darling,

I know I must say this every time, but the house feels so empty when you're gone, now the kids are all grown up. I fear I might have gone insane if it wasn't for Lucy. I like to take her for long walks in the Plains beyond the rear garden, you know, the vast fields of grapevines. I know I shouldn't, but she kept trying to escape the fence, so I decided I would take her, so she could show me what all the fuss was about. I carry a basket with me, picking grapes as we go and what I don't eat on the way back, me and Martha have been turning the juice in to wine when she visits. We'll have to open a bottle, or two, when you get back. It should be ready by then. I know you'll be telling me off for stealing, but they're not exactly going to lock up a sixty-eight year old women now, are they?

Speaking of age. Thank you so much for the bouquet of flowers you ordered for me, the blooms are so big! I'll have to thank Caroline down at the florist in town, I'm sure she had something to do with this. Not to mention the beautiful emerald necklace! I think your grand daughter has already staked her claim once we're dead and buried. I was actually quite surprised you managed to remember the date this year, it's taken your nearly forty to do so. I remember the ceremony overlooking the Hugin Sea like it was yesterday. So perfect.

Your sons actually threw a surprise party for us. While Kate and I where dress shopping in Tigard, they were busy away decking out the house with balloons and bunting. There were tables upon tables of food, a DJ and a live band, even a bouncy castle for the little ones. Everybody was there, even that grumpy old sod from the end of the street. Jack managed to make a fool of himself trying to sing along to the band, before the grandkids ganged up on him and threw him in to the pool. I wore the necklace you got me. Everybody stopped and asked about it, saying 'you're a keeper'. I knew that when I married you, haha.

Just when I thought it was over, Kate and the boys brought out a huge cake. It was so big it took all three of them to lift it! I took a picture and attached it to this message. **[FILE MISSING]** I wish you could have been on shore leave, we had so much fun. It'll be a while before we have another big get together like that again.

But it had to end sometime, and one by one they all went home, until it was just me a Lucy again. The boys stayed for a couple of days of course, how else was going to clean up? But they have jobs to be getting back to, and the kids are still in school. They talked about me moving with them to the city, so I can be closer. I gracefully declined however, as you might imagine. I don't think Lucy's quite suited for city living, and to be honest neither am I. I enjoy living in the big farm house at the edge of the village, the calmness in the air, the way the sea of vines sway in the breeze. It's magical.

Lucy must know I'm writing to you. She's sat in front of the open fire, doing that thing where she crosses her front legs. You know she never does that for anyone else? So I'm sat in my arm chair enjoying a camomile tea and the last of our cake, staring at the emerald necklace on the mantelpiece. Something so gorgeous doesn't deserve to be locked away in a jewellery box, I want to see it every day, proof that after forty years my one true love still feels the same as when we said 'I do'.

I miss you my love, and I'm counting the days 'till I answer a knock on the door to find you standing on the porch, the wind ruffling your auburn curls, dressed in your civi' slacks, the war over and ready to spend the rest of our lives together.

One day.

Always in my heart,

Teresa

**Message retrieved from [Source] undamaged data drives at Vigrond COM relay, Harvest.  
****Message remains undelivered to** **[Recipient] Robert Nyreen, Captain, UNSC Insomnia (UNSC Service Number: 01918-18646-RN). ****Cruiser lost with all hands, March 2nd 2526, over Harvest.**

**Message immortalised in stone, Harvest memorial site, Utgard.**


End file.
